Pocketknife



INVENTORS MAUR/'ce SHA/ee BY lI//zz/AM 0. WALLACE f WA TToRNEYs '51 from locked Closed pOSQOI).

Patented Apr. 16,v 1940 VUNiTl-:D STATES POCKETKNIFE Maurice Share and William D. Wallace,v Camillus, N. Y., assignors to C'amillus CutleryCompany, Inc., New York, N. Y., va corporation of Newy York - Application July s, 193s, sen'ai No.v 218,130

3 Claims.

'I'his invention relates to automatic blade opening knives and'has particular reference to an improved construction for locking the blades in opened and closed positions and for effecting the automatic opening thereof when released The invention comprehends a knife' of indicated character having a locking lever and a longitudinally extending spring fulcrumed on abutments engaging opposite sides thereof at longitudinally spaced points with one end .of the spring disposed in resilient engagement` with y the lever'for resiliently holding the lever in locked engagement with the blade and the opposite end of the spring resiliently engaging the blade adi jacent the shank thereof when in closed position for effecting the automatic opening thereof when released from locked engagement with the lever. vMoreparticularly the invention provides in a knife of said` character, a locking lever pivoted intermediate its length between the sides of the' knife and having means at one end thereof cooperating with the shank of the blade for locking thel blade in opened and closed positions, a longitudinally extending spring fulcrumed on the sides of the knife and fulcrumed on an abutment engaging the opposite side thereof at a longitudinally spaced point therefrom with one end of 30 spaced from said pivotal connection for automatically effecting locking engagement lof the lever with the blade when the same is moved to ,fclosed and vopened relations, and the oppositel end of the spring engaging the blade adjacent the 3 shank thereof for eifecting the automatic opening of theblade when the same is released from locked' `56A locking means released and the blade sprung to partially opened relation.

Fig. 3 is a similar view illustrating the blade in fully opened locked position.

Fig. 4l is a transverse sectional view taken ap- 55 proximately o n the line 4--4 of Fig. 3.

the

vformed with a shoulder I8 disposed substantially lever adjacent its pivotal connection with the the spring tensioned against the lever at a point- Fig. 5 is a similar view taken'japproximately on the line 5'-5 of Fig. 3. 'v

Referring to the drawing by characters of reference, the knife includes oppositely disposed side linings Ill and II, each of' which is provided with an ornamental face plate' I2 and between which linings the vblade I3 is pivoted on a pivot pin I4. rlhe tang of the blade I3 lis provided with a notch I5 in the back edge thereof and which notch defines shoulders I6 and Ildisposed sub- 10,

perpendicular to the length ofthe blade and which is substantially in alignment with the shoulder I'l 4of the notch I5. Q

Arranged vbetween thelinings I9 and II adjacent the backedge thereof is alongitudinally extending level' I9 pivoted ona pivot 20 and Which is provided at one end thereof `with an inwardly offset rectangular detent 2l adapted to be received in the notch I5 and to engage the shoulders. I6 and Il thereof tolockl the blade infopened relation and Vto engage the shoulder I8 to lock -the blade in closed relation;

e In order to provide means for rocking the lever I9 so that the detent 2l thereof auto--k matically engages the ynotch I5 andthe shoulder i8 when the blade ismoved to opened and closed positions, an 'actuating spring 22, disposed between' the siede linings Il) and II, v is fulcrumed between two longitudinally spaced abutments disposed on opposite sides of the actuating spring and dened respectively vby an inwardly projecting lug 23 formed on the inner edge of the lever I9 adjacent ythe pivot 2li anda prong 24 struck inwardly from the side rlining I0. The lug 23 and the prong 24 cooperate with `.the actuating spring toimpinge the extremity 25 thereof against the inner edge of the lever I9 so as ktol exert a tension thereon ina direction to normally effect engagement 'of the detent 2l with the tang of the blade I3. The inner edge of the lever I9, be- 45 tween the lug 23 and the extremity 25 of the actuating spring, is longitudinally concaved to afford a clearance space 26 between the vlever and the actuating spring to thereby permit of the flexing of the extremity 25 of the actuating spring 50 against the inner edge of the lever.

'I'he opposite end 21 of the actuating spring extends beyond the lug 23 to a point adjacent the tang'of the blade I3 and in position to be engaged by the inner edge of the tang forwardly 55 of the pivot I4 to depress the end of the spring from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Fig. 1 when the blade is moved to closed position to thereby impinge the tang against the end of the spring and to tension the end 2'! thereof to eiiect the automatic swinging of the blade from closed position between the side linings lil and Il to a partly opened position for manual movement tocompletely opened locked position.

The side linings l0 and ll and the ornamental side plates l2 are provided in their back edges with aligned curved recesses 28 to expose the lever i9 so that the same may be inwardly depressed by applying the thumb or ngerthereto to thereby rock the lever on the pivot 20 so as to effect the outward movement of the opposite end of the lever and the retraction of the detent 2l from engagement with the notch l5 when the blade. is to be moved from opened to closed relation and to free the detent 2| from engagement withy the shoulder I8 when the blade is closedl so as to permit the spring to function to automatically move the blade from closed position to partly opened relation.

The term blade as hereinbefore employed is intended to broadly cover not only a cutting blade butther implements such as a nail le, scissors, can opener and the like.

What is claimed is:

l.' a pocketknife, a handle including oppositelydisposed side members, a blade pivoted between sa'id side members, a lever pivoted between said side members adjacent the back edge thereof, interengageable detent and keeper means pro'- vided o n one end of the lever and on the tang of the blade forlocking the blade in opened and closed positions, an actuating spring positioned between said side members and fulcrurned betweenI longitudinally spaced abutments, said spring having longitudinally spaced reversely curved portions with one of said curved portions contacting on one side thereof with one of said abutments and the other of said curvedportions contactingon the other side thereof with the other abutment to oppositely tension the opposite ends of the said spring and with one end of the spring terminating adjacent the tang of the blade and adapted to be tensioned against the blade when the same is locked in closed position for automatically swinging the blade from closed position to partly opened position when the blade is released from locked position and with the other end of the spring impinging against the other end of the lever vand exerting a tension thereon for' normally holding the detent and keeper in locked engagement.

2. In a pocketknife, a handle including oppof sitely disposed side members, a blade pivoted between said side members, a lever pivoted between said side members adjacent theback edge thereof, interengageable detent and keeper means provided on one end of the lever and on the tang ofthe blade for locking the blade in opened and closed positions, an actuating spring positioned between said side members andfulcrumed between longitudinally spaced abutments, said spring having longitudinally spaced reversely curved portions with one of said curved portions contacting on one side thereof` with one of said abutments and the other o fj said Yourvedportions contacting on the -oth'erside thereof'fwith the other abutment to oppositely tension'the opposite ends of the said spring and with one end .of the spring terminating adjacent they tangtof thekv blade and adapted to'be tensioned against lthe blade when the sameis in 'locked closed position for'automatically swinging the blade from closed position to partlyr opened position when the same other end of the vspringimpinging against the r15",'- is released from locked position 'and with the other end of the lever and exerting a tension thereon for normally holding the detent 'andv keeper means in locked engagenienty when the blade is in opened and closed positions reispectively, andsaid side members, being recessed in the back edge thereof for exposing the' leverso d that the same may be manually depressed to thereby rock the lever against the tension of the vsaid vspring for releasing the detent and keeper means.

3. In, a pocketknie, a handle including oppo` sitely disposed side members, a blade pivoted between said side members, a lever pivoted between said side members adjacent the back edge thereof, interengageable detent and keeper means provided on one end of the lever and on the tang i of the blade for locking the blade in opened and closed positions, an actuating: spring position-ed tween an inwardly extending abutmentonthe in ner edge of the lever and a longitudinally spaced y prong struckl inwardly from one of said side members, said spring having longitudinally'spaced rebetween saidI side members and fulcrumed be-vv A versely curved portions, the convex sides oiwhichj f curved portions respectively contact with said abutment and said prong to op-positely tension the opposite ends ofthe springV and to secure fthe spring in position between the said side members, said spring having one end thereof terminating lockedv position and said spring having its opposite vendimpinging against the'` otherdend' 'ofthe 16S/.er andi exerting a tension thereonfor 'mor--Y maliy holding the detent and. keeper means in.

locked. eneaeenierlt` when the blade ifs, motioned..

and closed positions respectively, vand said; sidev members being recessedinthe'back edgethereof for exposing theA lever soA that the samernay be manually depressed to thereby rock. thevlever against.

ing the detent and keeper means. v

MAURICE SHARE;

wILLrAM D. i WAI-,nien f the tension o f the rSaidspring for releas-- dii? 

